Into the Nothing
by XDioxideX
Summary: Roach's time in the 141 was always full of missions. Will "Loose Ends" be his last, or will he survive? Set in pre- to post-MW2 storyline.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright! I've had this idea in my head for, like, two days. So I had to put it down. This is my first COD fanfic, so bear with me.**

**Into the Nothing**

Roach had quickly learned his way around the base, and even quicker who to avoid. Always observant, he had taken note of what areas and people to avoid. The worst area was around an old shed that some of the others liked to hang around. The worst people were Worm, Chemo, Toad, Meat, and Royce. He could tell that they loved to pick on others, working in a pack to humiliate their target. Royce was always pulling pranks, even though he was the calmest and most collected. Meat was simply full of himself and condescending, as was Worm. Toad and Chemo were like Royce's minions—always doing whatever he asked them to and taking the blame when he got caught.

Right behind that group was Scarecrow and Archer. Scarecrow wasn't rude or mean, but he was always awkward to be around. His enthusiasm about everything always seemed a little weird to Roach. Archer's grumpy demeanor and sharp criticism were simply something he wanted to avoid. The sergeant had no idea how Toad had gotten on the sniper's good side. He always stayed away from their bunks, because they were right next to the other group he avoided.

His friends were Reaper, Poet, Driver, and Zero. Reaper seemed intimidating, due to his tall build and habit of sticking to the shadows, but he was a good friend to those who approached him. Poet was quiet, reserved, and thoughtful, having earned his name for being that way. Driver had earned his name for being, well, the driver for the team. Whenever they had an undercover mission and they needed a ride, they called him. He always had some kind of snarky retort for an insult, and was one of the more quick-witted men on base. Zero was known for his bad habit of losing things like ammo clips and shoes, but he never lost any of the knickknacks he found. His forgetful nature always reminded Roach of a teenage girl, for whatever reason.

Ghost was like a big brother to him. They watched out for each other. The sarcastic Brit had taken him under his wing the very first day. He had even given up the empty bunk in his room and let Roach stay there. Riley still made his comments and the occasional insult, but it wasn't with bad intentions.

Sanderson was always training or working on something, trying to prove his worth. After a botched mission involving being chased by dogs, almost being crushed in an avalanche, and having to be dragged all the way to the LZ, he felt like MacTavish had lost faith in him. The sergeant had noticed some transfer papers on the captain's desk when he had been called in to debrief. He was sure that the long discussion Ghost had with the Scotsman afterwards was to keep him on the team. If Riley talked enough, MacTavish would do nearly anything for him. It went the same way if the captain didn't want the lieutenant doing something. The two were best friends like that.

He felt like he had earned the man's trust back when he was chosen to go on a mission to Turkey. It would be him, MacTavish, and Ghost. They would be going to an area just outside of Istanbul to collect some intel. He and Ghost would be going in as stealthily as possible, with the captain providing sniper support.

Roach knew it was going to be a very unpleasant mission as soon as he saw the heavy rain clouds. It was pouring when they stepped off of the helicopter. He checked his weapons and set off after Riley.

Two hours later they were lying in a ditch, watching a jeep go by. Ghost pulled a rocket launcher from his back and took aim. He fired, and the two of them took off running towards the safe house. They got inside without a problem, but it was easy to tell that the enemy was coming to investigate the destroyed jeep. Roach kept guard as Riley downloaded the intel.

A man walked inside the house and almost found them, but Sanderson jumped from behind and slit his throat.

"Good kill," MacTavish murmured over the coms. "Three more coming in through the back."

Roach smiled slightly, knowing he was back on the captain's good side. So far, the mission had gone without a hitch, and he hoped that wasn't about to change. He crept to stand behind the door and screwed the silencer on his pistol as the men walked inside. The sergeant made quick work of them and others as they came in.

Things were beginning to get out of control just as the download finished. Ghost ran out of the room. "Come on, Bug. We're done here."

"Got it." Roach finished off one of the men and raced after the lieutenant. They were supposed to follow a trail along the nearby river to the LZ. What neither one expected was the sudden explosion that hurled both of them into the river.

Sanderson hit his head on a rock, and everything went dark.

**Should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**I have a crick in my neck and a summer assignment for 9****th**** grade honors English. How wonderful. ]:1**

Ghost crashed into the river a moment later. He tumbled through the rushing water until finally surfacing a few moments later. The Brit pulled his mask off and gulped for air as he struggled to keep his head out of the water. When he regained his balance, he looked around. Roach was nowhere to be seen.

"Ghost! Talk to me. What happened?" MacTavish yelled over the comms. Riley kept his head on a swivel to watch for the missing sergeant.

"Bomb went off and threw us in the river. I can't find Bug."

"Find him and get to the LZ! The Turks are all over the place." The captain ordered.

At that moment, Ghost saw his friend's limp form floating on the surface of the water. He struggled to swim towards him, but the current was too strong. The lieutenant grabbed onto an overhanging branch and held on until he could reach Roach. Riley hooked an arm around the younger man's waist and pulled him up while fighting the water towards the river bank. He finally reached the bank and laid Sanderson down, checking him for vitals.

"Come on, Bug. Don't give up now." Ghost murmured as he started CPR on the sergeant. After a few long moments, Sanderson's breath hitched and he began to cough up water.

When he recovered, Riley helped him up and began to walk him down the trail. It was two minutes later when they reached the helo. MacTavish was waiting beside it. Once on board, the medic was checking the two of them for injuries. Roach had a gash on the side of his head and a minor concussion while Ghost only suffered from a few bruises. Both were sopping wet and fairly miserable the whole ride back.

Sanderson was sent straight to the infirmary after the helicopter landed at base while Riley and MacTavish went to the captain's office to go over the mission's results. Shepherd would be around soon to pick up the intel. After the debrief, Ghost went and cleaned up. Roach wasn't in their room, and he assumed the younger man was still being checked over. The sergeant had returned and was lying on his bed, tossing a tennis ball at the ceiling repeatedly when he came back.

"You gonna go get something to eat?" Riley asked.

"Not hungry." Sanderson murmured.

"Come on, mate. You need to eat." The older man offered a hand.

"I'm not hungry." The younger took his hand anyways, pulling himself up.

Ghost patted his shoulder. "You'll feel hungry soon enough. What did the doctors say?"

"Had to get the gash on my head stitched. They said I have a slight concussion as well. Made me clean up in their showers." The two of them began to walk down the hall towards the cafeteria.

"I'm sure you've handled all of that before," Riley grinned. "You were nicknamed after an insect for a reason." The Brit was only wearing his sunglasses—he didn't see the need to wear his mask around base.

"True." The sergeant agreed, grinning back. "I've dealt with worse." He noticed Royce and Meat chatting in one of the adjoining hallways. Sanderson could tell they were scheming, due to the fact they were speaking in the code they had made up. Only their group could understand it, and they were always changing it so that no one could catch on.

"I wonder what they're up to," Roach muttered.

"No good. Just ignore them, and they'll go away." Ghost walked a little faster, and the younger man followed suit.

Five minutes later, the two of them were sitting alone at one of the tables eating. It was the middle of the afternoon, so no one else was around. They took their time, having the rest of the day off. It was nearly four when the two of them returned to their room, both satisfied. Sanderson had found his appetite after the first bit of food.

As soon as he stepped inside the bunk, he could tell something was up. The sergeant checked all the usual places that the pranksters would put something or take a part out so it would collapse. He found everything to his approval.

"Idiots," he muttered. "Did you find anything?" Roach turned and looked at his bunkmate, who had his pistol drawn. He was aiming it at a tarantula on his pillow.

"Get rid of it, or I'm going to shoot it." Ghost snapped.

"Alright, alright. It's not going to bother you or anything." Sanderson laughed quietly and coaxed the spider onto his hand before carrying it outside. Riley gave a shudder and shook his pillow out before lying down. The younger man came back in a few minutes later.

"Royce is going to like the surprise in his bed later. Hopefully the thing will bite him." Roach grinned evilly before lying on his own bed.

The team was called into the meeting room the next morning. Shepherd and MacTavish were standing at the front. As everyone sat down, the captain spoke up.

"Alright, men. We've got a new assignment."


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREEEEEE. This is still pre-MW2, just so you guys know.**

Roach sighed. One thing right after another. He ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair in slight agitation. For once, the sergeant hoped that he wouldn't be picked.

"This mission involves the entire team. We will be investigating an outpost in Morocco." MacTavish explained. "Archer and Toad will be providing sniper support, Worm will be on over watch, and the rest of us will go about our work as assigned."

Ghost leaned over. "Is this another pointless intel mission?" He murmured.

Sanderson shrugged. "I'm sure it will be. Always is."

Both of them straightened when they saw Shepherd looking at them disapprovingly. MacTavish was explaining the plan through a projected map and laser pointer. The outpost was surrounded on one side by a lake, while the other was sheltered by a dense jungle.

Once the captain was done, he shut down the projector. "We will be leaving tomorrow at noon."

"Great, more swimming," Riley muttered. Everyone knew of his distaste for deep and murky water, which was the exact opposite of Toad. The American loved to swim in anything.

"Yeah. Let's hope I don't actually drown this time." Roach stood up when Shepherd dismissed them. "I don't think it was a good idea to put me with Chemo. He'd probably try to ditch me."

"Nothing to worry about. The fool at least knows how dangerous doing that can be." Ghost shrugged and walked away.

The next day, Sanderson was making a face in disgust as they stepped out of the helo. The lake he, Chemo, and three other groups of two would be swimming through was disgusting. He wasn't allowed to surface, due to the risk of being seen. Even from his position he could tell that the water would be slimy and murky.

Riley walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Just remember. We're doing this so others can live. People like us go into the nothing so that our loved ones can have something."

"I know. I'll try not to get myself hurt this time." Roach adjusted his wetsuit and pulled his goggles onto the top of his head.

"Don't reopen the gash on your head, either. I'm not taking care of that out here if it does." Chemo grinned as he walked past.

Ghost shook his head. "Bloody idiot is going to get himself killed with that mouth," he grumbled. "Just don't die, got it?" The lieutenant patted Sanderson's shoulder before slipping off after Reaper. Roach suppressed a shudder at the thought of having to face the two of them in combat as he set off after Chemo. Ghost and Reaper were intimidating by themselves, but both together was just scary. He was sure they would wreak havoc in the outpost.

The sergeant found his partner crouching in a sheltered area a couple yards into the trees that skirted the lake. He was motioning at the sky. A gap in the trees showed what he was staring at.

"Enemy chopper," Chemo whispered. The medic flicked on his comms and repeated the words. Roach could hear other voices begin to come in his earpiece as he pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked closer.

"Four tangos on board. All armed." Sanderson murmured. "I don't think they've spotted anything yet."

"Worm, shoot it down." MacTavish ordered. He was on the other side of the lake with another group that was working their way through the jungle.

The sound of a rocket launcher repeatedly firing drew everyone's attention to the sky. Roach hoped that the noise couldn't be heard at the outpost as four rockets came down from a tiny speck in the sky and slammed into the helicopter. It was down in a moment.

"Alright, men. Let's get moving." Ghost said. Chemo nodded at Sanderson, and the two of them slipped through the undergrowth towards the lake.

They were right on schedule with the other teams as they slipped into the water. The others could be seen moving into deeper water or creeping out of the trees. Roach pulled his goggles down and put the scuba regulator in his mouth before noiselessly going under.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four. It are raining outside. And I are speaking with improper grammar. This do not appeal to my grammar Nazi side. So I shall stop. **

_**Also**_**—This chapter does get fairly violent. Just a warning.**

The water was incredibly murky and nearly impossible to see in. Sanderson had to be practically right on top of Chemo to see him. Soon after going under, neither one of them could touch the bottom anymore. It only added to Roach's nerves. He had been feeling bad about the mission ever since MacTavish had announced it.

They had been moving for nearly five minutes when he lost sight of Chemo. After swimming around blindly for a few moments, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, the sergeant's eyes widened when he saw that it wasn't anyone on the team. The man appeared to be one of Makarov's hired army.

Roach tried to kick off of the man's chest and escape, but he caught his boot and began to pull him through the water. The sergeant struggled wildly as two more men came out of the murk and took hold of his limbs. They ripped his comms away and tied his hands and feet together.

It seemed like an eternity before he felt his feet touch bottom. The men drug him out of the water and into the trees. They were on a different side of the lake. One of them took his ACR and knife while another called someone. Then they were dragging him through the brush to some unknown location. After being pulled for a while, the first man motioned for the others to stop.

He ordered something in Russian, and before Sanderson knew what was going on, one of them brought the butt of his gun down on the back of his head.

When the sergeant woke up, he was tied to a metal chair. The room he was in was tiny and dark. While he tried to get his bearings back, a guard in the corner stood up.

"Look who's awake. Did you get enough beauty sleep?" He sneered in a heavy Russian accent. "So, American. Tell me. Who are you with?" There was a fist clutching his collar now.

"Me, myself, and I," Roach looked up at the man. The guard was a large man with an overbearing air.

His words earned him a punch to the jaw. "Tell me the truth."

"I just did."

Another punch. "Do all Americans lie as blatantly as you?"

"Only when they're not lying. You won't get anything out of me." Sanderson narrowed his eyes as the man raised a fist, and then stood up straight and released his collar.

"Fine then." He pulled a car battery and jumper cables off of a nearby table. "We will try a different approach. Who are you?"

"No one," Roach said stubbornly. "Who are you?" He watched as his captor connected the jumper cables to the battery and sparked them. The sergeant knew it was an intimidation tactic, as Ghost always did so when he was interrogating someone.

"Let me repeat the question. Who are you?"

"I'm myself. I'm just going to call you Bill, okay?" Sanderson grit his teeth when the cables were connected to the chair. He could feel the electricity coursing through his body. "Bill" kept his hand on the dial.

"Tell me, or I turn it up." When his words were met with silence, the man pushed the dial two notches. Roach began to clench and unclench his hands as the pain doubled. The man narrowed his eyes. "Still not going to tell me anything?"

"Never," the sergeant ground out. The next notch was enough to cause his limbs to spasm. A yell tore itself from his throat. He hung his head and tried to catch his breath when the man finally unclipped the cables. Sanderson could feel burns starting on his forearms where they had been touching the chair.

"Tell me your name."

"No." Roach's head snapped to the side when his captor brought his elbow across his face. He could feel blood oozing from where he had been hit.

After another few minutes of being beaten and finally shot in the shoulder when he refused to tell, two people stepped inside the room. "That is enough, Viktor. We do not want a dead body to dispose of _yet_." One of them said.

Viktor straightened up and walked back to his chair in the corner. Sanderson blinked rapidly to clear the blood out of his eye that wasn't swollen shut and looked at the two new people. He found himself staring at the beast himself.

"Yuri, untie him." Makarov ordered. The man that he had called Yuri nodded and quickly did so before returning to Makarov's side. The Russian pulled a chair off of the wall and sat down in it. "I can see that you refused to tell Viktor what he needed."

Roach pressed a hand to his injured shoulder. "I'm not telling you anything," he growled before spitting blood onto the other man's boot.

Vladimir was on top of him in a moment, slamming him against the wall and holding him by his collar. He was surprisingly strong for his thin appearance. "I do not have to let you live, American. So I suggest you tell me what I need."

"I told Viktor what he wanted," Sanderson hissed, locking his hazel gaze with Makarov's heterochromatic one. There was a predatory and cruel gleam in the man's eyes. "I'm with myself, and I'm no one."

"Slippery, aren't you?" The terrorist growled and let go of his collar, taking a step back. "You cannot go like this forever."

"I can last longer than you," the sergeant felt something crack when Vladimir's fist connected with his jaw.

"But will your friends wait? I know who you are with, American."

"Then why have Viktor ask for that?" He could feel a sharp pain every time he moved his jaw, telling him it was probably broken.

"There is a method to my madness." Makarov pulled a pistol out of his coat and sat Sanderson back in the chair. He pressed the barrel of the gun to his shin. "So, American. What is your name?"

"You probably know that as well, don't you?" Roach narrowed his good eye. The terrorist pulled the trigger. He could feel sickness rising in his throat from the agony, but only hung his head and clenched his teeth. His jaw popped and ground painfully when he did so.

"Speak!" Vladimir moved his aim to the other leg.

"I won't tell you anything!" Sanderson spat. He could feel blood running freely from the wound on his leg.

"Stubborn as a mule," Makarov put the pistol away and narrowed his eyes. "If you speak of this to anyone, your sister won't live to see another day." He threatened.

Sanderson closed his eyes. His sister was why he was in the military. She was unable to work due to illness and needed the money to support herself until she recovered. Kristen was _everything_ to him.

The terrorist motioned to Yuri. "Take him back to the lake." The Russian nodded and tied Roach's limbs again before knocking him out.

Next thing he knew, the sergeant was lying on the shore of the lake again. Water was lapping over most of his body. He felt too weak to do anything but lie where he was and watch the now burning and destroyed outpost. The flames seemed almost peaceful and mesmerizing to the man. Sanderson eventually closed his eyes and drifted back into unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the great reviews! I love you guys. :)**

Sanderson was soaked and chilled to the bone when he woke up. It was pouring rain so heavily that he couldn't see across the lake anymore. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance, and the sergeant could see the occasional flash or flicker of lightning.

He groaned. Everything hurt. Roach could tell that half of his face was still swollen from the beating he had received, and that he definitely had a concussion. His skull pounded with every crack of thunder or bright streak of lightning. When he rolled onto his back and squinted towards the trees, the sergeant saw someone watching him. Sanderson blinked the water out of his eyes and looked closer. It was one of Makarov's men—Yuri, maybe.

_Probably here to finish me off_, he thought.

Yuri cast a cautious glance around before slipping out of the trees and kneeling beside the sergeant. "I am here to help you," he murmured. "I have contacted your team and told them where you are. Do not tell them who it was."

Roach nodded. A few moments later, he was painfully limping beside the Russian, his left arm draped over the man's shoulders. They made slow progress. By the time the two of them were back under the cover of the trees, Yuri was soaked as well. He sat Sanderson against a sheltered trunk and held out a knife.

"Only use this if Makarov's men find you," he murmured.

The sergeant nodded and took the weapon. "Thanks."

"You are not the only one who hates what Makarov is doing," Yuri was gone a second later.

Suddenly exhausted, Roach let his shoulders sag. He had no idea that short of a distance could be so taxing. It was probably because of blood loss and the concussion.

The next thing Sanderson knew, he was being carried to a helo. He kept his eyes closed, not wanting to make his migraine any worse by seeing any of the lights. Even though he couldn't see them, he could feel the glances and stares from the men on board. The sergeant gave an inward laugh. He probably looked like hell frozen over.

There was the sound of the doors being slid shut as he was laid down on the floor, and then the thumping of the chopper blades as it took off. Sanderson felt the slight prick of a needle in his arm. Everything began to fade away a few moments later.

It was nearly a week before Roach was allowed out of the infirmary. It was even longer before he was allowed back to normal activities. Out of fear for Kristen's life, he only told MacTavish what had happened when he was captured, then explained his "forgetfulness" as memory loss from the concussion.

The sergeant found himself bored almost all the time. He would wander around the base when the rest of the team was out doing drills or entertaining themselves at the shooting range. He was silent except for the clicking of his crutch on the floor. While Sanderson's jaw was almost completely healed, his shoulder and leg had a ways to go. He wasn't allowed to put much weight on or exert either one, but he did what he could. What everyone else seemed to notice more than anything was the way his jaw was healing. It had a slight twist to it that didn't hinder him at all. It just seemed odd.

When he was finally sent back to normal exercises and work, the sergeant had missed two missions. The first was to capture one of Makarov's suppliers, while the other was simply destroying another outpost. Shepherd was sending them on a lot of outpost missions lately. His explanation was that they needed to weaken the outer edges before they could take down the heart of the operation. Sanderson had a feeling that it was a lot of crap, but said nothing.

It was another two weeks of hard training before he was chosen for another mission. He and MacTavish would be infiltrating an air base in Kazakhstan to retrieve a DMS module.

"Alright, Roach. Let's go." The captain murmured once the noise from a jet was gone.

Sanderson nodded and stood up. He was only just beginning to feel tired from the climb up the icy cliff. The sergeant grinned behind his facemask.

_Looks like my work paid off. _

The two of them hauled themselves up an overhang, almost falling when a jet screamed overhead, and then stood at the top. They were looking at either an impossible climb or a dangerous jump across a break in the rock.

MacTavish tightened his grip on his ice picks and took a few steps back. "I'll see you on the other side." With that, he took a running start and threw himself across the crevasse. Roach did the same, but his picks didn't grip properly. The sergeant felt his throat tighten in fear as he began to slide down the slippery ledge.

"Hold on!" Was all he heard before one of the picks came loose. Sanderson grit his teeth and looked down. The rocks at the bottom of the cliff seemed to grin up at him like sharp teeth. He looked up again and saw the captain swing himself down by one arm and offer a hand. Roach took it just as the other pick came out of the ice. MacTavish hauled both of them up onto safe ground.

The sergeant nodded his thanks before clipping his picks to his vest and pulling his ACR off of his back. He and the captain started off at a jog towards their destination. It wasn't long before they had taken out two patrols and they had to split up.

Roach started towards one of the jeeps parked near a platform. "I've got this one," MacTavish murmured. The sergeant drove his knife into one of the men's chests as the others' head exploded into red mist. He glanced down the road a little and saw the light of approaching headlights through the blizzard. Sanderson pulled himself underneath the platform and waited for the jeep to pass. Silent curses passed from his lips when the thing stopped and four men stepped out.

"Not going to fire, sir." He murmured as he crawled through the snow and emerged on the other side. The sergeant glanced around before starting towards the objective.

It wasn't long before he reached the place. "There looks to be a number of tangos approaching your location," MacTavish said as Roach planted the C4 on one of the fuel tanks.

"Got it," Sanderson started towards their meeting place before the captain could say anything more.

"I'll race you to the hangar." The older man challenged.

"Challenge accepted." The sergeant picked up the pace a little.

Roach had made fairly good progress before he had to kill any more men. He shot two of them and knifed the third. The man made it to the backside of the hangar just as MacTavish was arriving.

"And Scotland wins again," the captain grinned before moving to push open the door. He slipped inside, Sanderson just behind him. The younger man watched as the older rushed one of the guards and tackled him against some lockers before bringing his knife down on the man's chest. There was a moment's struggle before he went limp.

"I'll take care of this, you go get the DSM." MacTavish pulled a screwdriver out of his vest and began to work on the satellite as Roach turned and ran up the stairs. He grabbed the DSM and was about to step out of the small room when a loudspeaker came on.

"This is Major Petrov! Your friend has been compromised! You have five seconds to come out, or we will shoot!" A heavily accented voice said. The major began to count down as Sanderson crawled behind some crates.

"Roach, go to plan B." The captain murmured. The sergeant pulled out the C4 switch and clicked it.

A moment later, a huge explosion rocked the ground, startling all of the men. He and MacTavish ran to the wall and began shooting. "Keep close to the wall!" The older man ordered. Both of them kept their backs to the frigid metal and were soon out on the tarmac. The Russians were everywhere, yelling to each other and firing whenever they could get a shot.

The two of them were nearly to the bottom of a hill when they heard the high-pitched squeal of a snowmobile. MacTavish was yelling into the comms, telling the helicopter pilot to move to the secondary LZ. Roach heard the response as he shot one of the snowmobile drivers. His partner got off and started to fire at the sergeant, who easily took him out.

"Let's go! You take that one, I'll take this one." The captain called to him as he ran towards the vehicle. He jumped on and pinned the throttle. It wasn't long before they were rocketing through forest trails, shooting the Russians who followed.

"Incoming helo!" Sanderson called as the black thing flew overhead. It hovered a few hundred yards away and began to fire rockets at them. Both of the operatives had to weave across the ice to avoid being blown to bits. They were soon racing through a valley, then up to the top of a hill. It led down in a steep slope that was pocked with trees and rocks.

"Don't let up! Keep going!" MacTavish ordered. The sergeant nodded and pushed the throttle as hard as he could. The snowmobile gave a jump and started down the hill. Roach swerved to avoid trees and rocks, then found himself at the bottom. It led up in a kind of ramp that would throw him through the air and into a small village on the other side.

Sanderson leaned forward and held on as tightly as he could when he reached the top. He felt weightless as he flew through the air. The snowmobile landed with a heavy jolt, bounced once, then slid through the village. The impact of landing had killed the engine. Roach jumped off as soon as it stopped and ran to the helo.

He pulled off his facemask and grinned when MacTavish ran up. "What was that about Scotland winning?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry this one took so long! I got SUPER busy with VBS and other stuff. My 14****th**** birthday was the 14****th****, too! :D Thanks for being patient! I'm going to give you guys an EXTRA long chapter because of my crappy time management.**

Sanderson was still sore when they left for their new mission two days later. He slept most of the flight, and almost dozed off during the drive through Rio. The Russians had launched a full attack on American soil the day before, and Joseph Allen had been blamed for the massacre at the Zakhaev International Airport. WWIII had officially begun that night.

The sergeant was yanked away from his thoughts as the truck stopped. He glanced over at Driver, back at MacTavish and Meat, then back in front of him. Their target had stepped out of his compound and was talking with two of his contacts. It wasn't long before the two men began to shout at each other.

"Get down!" MacTavish shouted. All of them ducked, Roach hiding himself behind the dash of the vehicle. Driver raised his head to look when a shot was fired. A second shot rang out, and the sergeant could only watch at his friend's skull was shattered. Pieces of flesh and brain matter splattered the windshield and dashboard.

"Driver's down!" He yelled. Roach quickly grabbed the other man's tags and leapt out of the truck as the captain shouted orders.

"Target's moving fast!" Ghost called from a ways down the sidewalk. Sanderson took off at a run after him, pulling his ACR off of his shoulders. Their group chased after the man and into an alley. "Roach! Go for the legs! Non lethal shots only!" The lieutenant ordered.

_He killed Driver, and now Ghost is telling me _not_ to kill him?_ He thought rebelliously. The sergeant considered 'accidentally' killing the man, but soon changed his mind. Riley was probably going to put him through some serious pain.

"Taking the shot now!" Everything became slow for a moment as three shots rang out. The man collapsed a moment later, clutching his left leg. It was hardly ten seconds before the team had him restrained.

Five minutes later, he was tied to a chair with a sack covering his head. "We'll take care of him here," MacTavish said. "Roach, take Meat and Royce and go search the Favela for Rojas."

The three of them nodded and set off down the alley. They just barely heard the screams of Rojas's right hand man before they jumped off of a ledge and into an open area. Sanderson fired his shotgun into the air multiple times as Meat yelled at the civilians to clear out in Portuguese. It was only a matter of seconds before all of them were gone.

"Meat, you take the middle. Royce, go left. I'll take the right." Roach commanded as he heard Rojas's men coming. One of them yanked a cover out of a window, only to earn himself a bullet in the chest.

After running down a narrow alley with little cover, Sanderson found himself stuck in a corner. There were hostiles coming from all directions, and he could hear the loud barking and yapping of two dogs. He shot one of them, but found himself on the ground with the other on top of him. It snarled and reared its head back to take aim for his throat. The sergeant took his chance and grabbed the mutt's head, twisting it to the side with a sharp crack. It suddenly went limp and fell to the side as Roach stood back up. He dove for better cover.

"Meat is down!" Royce yelled over the comms.

Sanderson barely had time to react before a man was lunging for him, AK raised to bring the butt down on his head. The sergeant rolled to the side and pulled his Desert Eagle, putting a bullet in his attacker's head before grabbing his gun and using the grenade launcher to kill another five men. He cleared out a couple more buildings before leaving his place and running to another alley.

There was a moment of near silence as he rounded the corner and saw Royce suddenly fall to the ground, blood beginning to pool around him.

"Royce is hit!" Sanderson called, taking off at a run. He had almost reached the other man when another bullet hit him in the head. The sergeant unloaded a clip into three more men and reloaded. Once the area was clear, he walked over to Royce's body and took his and Meat's tags.

When he had run through another small pathway, MacTavish came on the comms. "We're tracking Rojas now. He's headed in your direction. But watch your corners, Bug. This is their territory, and they know it well."

"Got it, sir." Sanderson responded before taking cover behind a pair of gray barrels. They provided him enough time to ready his grenade launcher and take out a pair of men hiding in a building. The sergeant then ran up a hill, managing to flank another tango and knife him before he could fire. He shot two men running across the alley ahead of him, and then threw a grenade up onto one of the nearby rooftops. Three men jumped up to run. The explosion caught two and sent the third hurtling to the ground, dead.

Roach ducked into a building to his left and ran to the other side, throwing a flashbang out of the window before clambering out and shooting another four men. He threw his ACR to the side and picked up an AK-47 and took care of the rest of the men nearby.

"You're getting close! Keep moving!" Ghost called over the comms. Sanderson looked up and saw Rojas jump across a narrow gap between two buildings and took off at a sprint, following a narrow alley in an attempt to cut him off.

It was another five minutes before the sergeant saw the man again. Ghost had caught up to him by that time and they almost lost Rojas before MacTavish crashed through a window and tackled him off of a balcony and onto an old beater of a car.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, a gunshot put the man out of his misery. The captain had tied him to the bars covering a window and interrogated him there before putting a bullet in his head. Riley had been arguing with Command the entire time, trying to get the team some kind of transport out. The rest of the men had regrouped and were resting as this went on.

"Bollocks! Command has their head up their arse," the Brit finally snapped. "We're on our own."

"I think I know of someone who could help," MacTavish said as he took the radio from the lieutenant. "Codename Nikolai."

"Sure. What exactly does he have that could help us?"

Sanderson walked over as the two of them argued. "Can we just call the guy and hope he gets our butts out of here?"

"Sure, why not? It isn't like he has a helo or anything." Ghost rolled his eyes.

"You never let me finish my sentence. He has a pave low." The captain said as he tuned the radio into Nikolai's frequency. "Nikolai? This is captain MacTavish."

"Da. Are you in need of something?" A heavy Russian accent responded.

"We need immediate pickup." MacTavish rattled off their location and what they needed.

"I will be there, my friend. Do not worry."

"Alright, men! Let's move it! Extraction is at the primary LZ!" Ghost called to the rest of the team. They stood up and pulled their gear back into place as a loud explosion was heard nearby.

"They know where we are," Roach stated as Chemo ran up.

"That was from the militia. They're closing in fast." He said.

"Then we'll get out of here fast." MacTavish shot the man a look. The sergeant nodded and took off in the same direction as the others. "Come on, we don't have all day."

Sanderson cast one look back at Rojas before turning and following Riley up a small trail that led to a large parking lot. It was, just like every other clear space, surrounded by shacks and trash huts. The militia was already waiting for them.

It had hardly been a few moments of combat before a technical came screeching in. Ghost alerted everyone of it as the thing skidded to a stop, the gunner opening fire. Zero didn't make it to proper cover in time and fell, blood gushing from a wound in his side. Chemo darted out and hauled him to safety.

"Zero's down!" The medic finally called. Roach felt a rock sink in the pit of his stomach. That was three men down already, and they weren't anywhere near the LZ. He knew there would be more casualties.

"Come on! Take out that technical! They've got us pinned!" MacTavish ordered.

The sergeant responded quickly before grabbing a nearby RPG and launching it at the white truck. It went up in a ball of flame that sent one of the doors flying. The thing flew past his head and clattered to a stop a few feet behind him.

"Keep pushing! Head for the alleys!" Ghost yelled. The lieutenant was on his feet and sprinting for one of the narrow pathways as soon as he saw an opportunity. Sanderson and the others followed a moment later, ducking into buildings and fighting their way towards the market.

The team was heading down a hill when MacTavish announced that they were halfway there. Roach ducked behind a small shed to reload when a grenade flew over his head and landed a little ways up the hill. It began to roll towards him on the inclined street. Sanderson jumped up and ran onto the roof of the tiny building and jumped down just as the frag exploded. He could feel the heat from it on the back of his neck as he ran down to hide behind a concrete barrier.

Rocket and Gator sprinted up to provide cover for the rest of the team. Both fell within a few moments of each other, dead. One of the militia had gotten lucky and shot both of them in the head.

"Rocket and Gator are dead!" The sergeant called as he grabbed their tags.

_Six men down_, he thought. _Who's going to die next?_

Ghost raced down and crouched behind the barrier as well. "This is going badly," he murmured. "Keep your head down and watch out."

Roach nodded and raised himself just high enough to fire at the militia members. They were hiding behind old junkers and other chunks of debris, yelling to each other in Portuguese. He took out six of them before he had to reload again.

Sanderson was the first one to run for the next position. He leapt over the concrete block and shot three more men before he hid behind one of the old cars. The sergeant kept moving forward, racking up more and more kills as he went.

When they reached a new alley, Rocket followed him into some of the nearby buildings and cleared them. It was a short uphill run before they were in the lot right below the market. The LZ was just past there.

"Keep going! Don't let up!" MacTavish yelled.

Roach growled quietly when he found himself pinned down. He was stuck against a wall; unable to move forward or to the side. Rocket dove out of the alley and behind another cement barrier. He shot a few men, clearing the way for Sanderson to move up. What the other man never saw was the militia member who came up behind him and bashed him in the head with the butt of his AK.

"Rocket!" Chemo yelled. "He's down!"

The sergeant ignored the medic and ran up the stairs. Ghost and MacTavish were soon next to him, fighting just as hard as he was to get through the market. They paused for a moment when Nikolai flew over.

"That's our way out," the captain said. "Come on, men! We have to get to the LZ!"

Chemo, Ozone, Worm, and Poet raced up. Roach realized that they were all that was left. He could tell that Riley was thinking the same, even though his face was covered.

It was hardly two minutes later before they were at the top of the large lot that Nikolai was above. RPGs and bullets whizzed and soared overhead, many of them directed at the pave low.

"It is too hot! We will not survive this landing!" Nikolai yelled through the comms.

"Wave off, wave off!" MacTavish yelled. "Go to the secondary LZ! We'll meet you there!"

"Alright, my friend." The Russian sounded almost dubious. "Be careful." The huge helicopter lifted up and flew off in the direction of the new meeting place.

"Let's get moving. We don't have much time." The captain motioned towards the cluster of buildings to their left.

After a few minutes of racing through tiny alleys and even smaller hallways and rooms, the team was out on the roof. It was flat almost all the way to the helo, which was hovering at the edge. Sanderson knew there was a sharp cliff straight after that. They were almost halfway there when Chemo fell, blood spraying from his chest. The man was dead, no doubt about it. Roach saw Worm jump up ahead and knew there was a large gap coming up. What he didn't expect was just how far it would be.

The sergeant leaped for the other side, only to have the wind knocked out of his chest when he hit the edge. The tin roof provided no grip, and he found himself slipping. His gloves gave him no help, and he fell just as MacTavish swung himself over the side and reached for his hand. The captain gripped his sleeve, but couldn't hold on. Sanderson barely felt the impact before everything went dark.

"Roach! Wake up! They're coming for you!" Ghost was yelling.

_Why is he yelling?_

The sergeant had no idea what was going on. He couldn't breathe, and couldn't tell where he was. His head hurt.

"Get out of there! I can see them, Bug! They're coming from all sides!" Riley ordered, his voice urgent. "Get up!"

Sanderson stumbled to his feet, leaning heavily on the dumpster next to him. He still didn't know what was up, just that it was bad. There were flickering shadows on the wall behind him, showing men coming his way.

"_Run_, you bloody idiot!" The lieutenant was starting to sound angry by now. Roach turned away and started down the tiny pathway and into a building. "Get to the rooftops!"

Sanderson still wasn't breathing right, but he soon forgot about it when bullets began to fly past him. He took off at a run and somehow ended up sliding down a sloped roof and crashing through a window. After a moment of stumbling along blindly in the dark room, he found the exit and ran out. The sergeant turned and almost fell down a flight of stairs, then sprinted onto the rooftops. He saw the pave low and put the little energy he had left into running, then taking a flying leap.

Roach felt completely weightless until he hit the ladder dangling from the helo. The sergeant held onto it for dear life.

"Where to, my friend?" Nikolai asked.

MacTavish let out a sigh. "Just get us out of here."

Sanderson began to haul himself up the ladder and was almost inside the helicopter when Ghost reached out and pulled him in by the back of his vest. He could already feel a migraine starting as he laid down on the floor.

"Took you long enough to get moving," Riley muttered as he checked the younger man over. He was obviously still agitated. "Earned yourself a concussion and some bruised ribs, looks like."

Roach rolled his eyes. "I'm still alive, am I not?"

"Sadly, yes." Ghost sat down in one of the seats and pulled his headset off.

Two hours later, Sanderson was stretched out in his bed, trying to sleep. He soon sat up, restless. The sergeant couldn't keep his mind off of the letter he had received as soon as he was out of the infirmary.

"Go to sleep, Bug. We have another mission tomorrow." Riley murmured from his bed.

"Tried. Why are you still up?" Roach looked over towards the older man, who was lying on his side, facing the door.

"You're being too noisy, that's why."

"Sorry," the sergeant scratched the back of his neck. "Just can't sleep."

Ghost sat up, rubbing his eyes in the dark. "Is it about that letter?"

"No," Sanderson lied.

"Oh teller of untruths, your trousers have combusted." The Brit said in an old English accent.

The sergeant could feel the other man's misty blue gaze on him. "Fine. It is about the letter." He could feel a knot rising in his throat.

"You never said anything about it. Was it an update on Kristen?"

"Yeah," Roach mumbled as he reached for his water bottle, taking a swig to try and make the knot go away. "It was."

"How is she? Worse?"

"No." Sanderson sighed and laid back down. "She's dead. Her hospital was blown up."

"They killed her, didn't they?" Riley's voice was quieter.

"Told all about it in the letter." The sergeant felt anger instead of grief starting to build up in his chest. "I'm going to kill every last one of them."

"How did they…" The other man's voice trailed off. "Did all this happen after you were captured?"

"Yes. I do remember all of it. They threatened to kill her if I told."

"I'm sorry, Bug." He paused. "What happened there?"

"One of them—Viktor, I think—tried to get me to talk. I didn't, and he shot me. Makarov and one of his men came in after that. He was the one who shot my leg and threatened Kristen's life."

"Who was it that contacted us?"

"I'm not going to say. He helped me, and I'm helping him by keeping my mouth shut."

"Just wondering. One of Makarov's men was picked up after the airport massacre. He had been shot in the side, but still tried to come back and shoot the man. Yuri, I think it was."

"Never saw him. Only saw Viktor, Makarov, and his right hand man." Sanderson yawned.

"Mmh. Tired now?" Ghost asked.

"I've been tired. I just had too much on my mind."

"Get some sleep. You need it."

"Don't tell MacTavish."

"I won't, Bug. Now go to bed." The Brit laid back down and pulled the blankets up. He always seemed to be cold, for whatever reason.

"Alright. Thanks." Roach closed his eyes.

_I _will_ kill all of them. Every last one. No one touches Kristen and gets away with it. _He resolved. Sleep caught up to him a moment later.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. I feel like a douchecopter for making you wait more than a MONTH for this update. Really sorry. **** Please don't hate me! I've been watching my back for the assassins, no joke. Also, just to speed up the plotline, I'm going to be skipping over a few campaign missions to get to Loose Ends. Sorry if that doesn't fit your liking, but I have no ideas for anything until, like, the end of Loose Ends.**

Roach had been feeling worse and worse as the week went on. They had lost Worm in the Gulag, and three more men in the village. He was beginning to wonder if any of them were going to survive to the next day.

It was when Ghost requested to take him, Scarecrow, Ozone, Archer, Toad, and Reaper to one of Makarov's last safehouses that he knew his fate was sealed. The foreboding feeling he had been having seemed to rack itself up ten notches. As if it wasn't bad enough already.

OoOoO

"Are we there yet?" Scarecrow was getting seriously annoying. He wouldn't shut up. He never did. The man somehow reminded him of a teenage girl. That brought thoughts to mind that Sanderson didn't want. Kristen was still dead, and there was still nothing he could do about it. Not until he got his hands on Makarov's men. Then there would be justice. He'd kill the ones that killed his sister. Every last one of them.

"Shut up already!" Ozone snapped. His temper had become worse and worse as they walked. He was obviously unhappy with the week's events.

_He isn't the only one_, Roach thought. He could see sunlight shining through the trees ahead and knew they were nearing the top of the hill. Archer and Toad, who had been leading, motioned for them to stop before disappearing over the ridge. Everyone sat down or leaned against a tree. Scarecrow began to pace around restlessly, kicking rocks and sticks.

"You guys ready?" He asked.

Ozone groaned and ran a hand down his face. Ghost sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, you idiot. We've been ready since we left. Where have you been?"

"I've been with you guys the whole time," Scarecrow grinned. Sanderson was beginning to wonder what the consequences of strangling the man would be. He could tell that the others were thinking the same.

Everyone was relieved when Archer finally came on the comms. "Move up. We've got movement inside, but not much else."

Riley jerked his head towards the top of the hill. "You heard him. Let's go."

Scarecrow began to chatter excitedly, earning him a hard slap to the head from Reaper. "You'd better shut the heck up before I shoot you." He growled.

"I thought we were trying for no fatalities," Toad muttered through the radio.

"All of you, shut your traps!" Ghost stopped and turned around, glaring at each one of them. "We're nearing an enemy safehouse, and this is what you do? You argue like a bunch of little girls! I swear," he shook his head and walked the rest of the way up the hill. Roach was the first one moving again.

No one spoke until they came out of the woods. They were standing on a high ledge overlooking the house. It was a huge mansion with a greenhouse behind it and a number of jeeps parked outside.

"Wow. I'd kill to live there." Scarecrow was staring at the house, a grin spreading across his face. Reaper slapped him again.

"Let's hurry up and get this over with," Sanderson murmured. Riley nodded and started down the hill. They made it to a small grove of trees almost halfway down when the Brit flopped on the ground.

"Ambush!" He yelled. Roach glanced down at his feet and saw a Bouncing Betty start to fly up. The sergeant dove for cover, barely avoiding the blast. Reaper wasn't so lucky. The explosion sent him flying into a boulder.

"Reaper is down!" Ozone called. Explosions began to rock the ground around them. Smoke was filling the air.

"Left side! Left side! Get out of there! They've got this area presighted for mortars!" Ghost ordered, running into the smoke. Mortars were hitting all around them. Sanderson looked at his friend's limp form one last time before sprinting after the lieutenant. Snipers were firing at them from all directions and there were men everywhere. The group tore through them, barely avoiding RPG fire and other various projectiles.

The sergeant had made it to the road below the house when a pair of jeeps roared past. Archer was yelling something about javelins and danger close. He put the pieces together and ducked into the ditch beside the gravel path not a moment too soon. The heat from the explosion was enough to make him wince. It was a second later when he was up and running again; moving towards the front of the house.

Riley met him at the front doors and nodded. "Breach and clear."

They could both hear voices inside the house as the sergeant planted the bomb and pressed himself against he wall. There was a yell, and then debris was flying everywhere. The wooden doors splintered and threw chunks everywhere as Roach burst inside, shooting six men. It wasn't long before the ground floor was clear.

"Alright. Roach, you go with Scarecrow and clear out the basement." Ghost ordered. He walked over to one of the massive windows and looked outside. "This place is a goldmine."

"You could say that again," Ozone muttered as he walked over to the large computer and looked it over. "Appears to be intact."

Their voices faded as Sanderson hurried down the stairs. After kicking in one door and breaching another, the downstairs was empty. He walked into a tiny room and found a huge stock of ammo and just about every gun he could need hanging on the wall.

Scarecrow followed him in and began to giggle madly. "Dude, this is everything we could possibly need! There's so much here!" He pulled an RPG off of the wall and ran upstairs. Roach rolled his eyes and restocked his ammo. He was fine with his ACR.

Once he went back up, Ozone told him to help with the top floor. When the two of them were ready, he placed the charge on the door and rushed inside, shooting three men and knifing the fourth. He winced when it was all done. One of their bullets had grazed his arm.

"All clear," Ozone called down the stairs.

"I'm starting the download now," Ghost responded. "Protect this thing with your life. It could change the course of the war."

Sanderson gulped. They were probably all going to die here. He quietly set up at the top of the stairs, gazing down at the front entryway.

"You've got a large number of enemy troops converging on your position. We'll provide as much support as possible." Archer said. The normally stoic man sounded stressed.

"Everything alright?" Scarecrow asked.

"Toad is hit. I can't tell if he'll make it or not." Roach felt his throat tighten.

"Keep him up as long as possible." Ghost said. He exchanged a glance with the sergeant. They were both thinking the same thing.

"They're right outside the house." Sanderson gripped his ACR that much closer. He opened fire a moment later.

It was what felt like hours later when the download was complete. Archer had gone silent. Toad had bled out. Ozone had taken a bullet in the head. Scarecrow had been shot so many times that there was nothing anyone could do. Ghost snatched the DSM off of the table and took off at a run towards the LZ. They had called in support five minutes earlier.

"Roach! Run!" Riley yelled. The sergeant jumped up and ran outside, sprinting after the lieutenant. They were nearly there when an explosion threw him into the ground.

Next thing he knew, Ghost was standing over him. He was yelling into the comms, saying something about red smoke. "Come on, we're almost there." The older man pulled him onto his feet. Sanderson hissed in pain and almost fell over again. His left leg was unable to bear any weight. "Don't stop," the Brit told him as he put an arm over his shoulders and helped him walk. They could see Shepherd stepping out of a friendly helo.

"Do you have the DSM?" He demanded, helping support the wounded sergeant.

Sanderson couldn't help the bitter smile that crossed his face. "You just don't care, do you?"

Ghost slapped him across the back of the head. "Yes sir." He handed over the hard drive.

"Good work."

Roach felt a sudden pain in his side and heard an ear-shattering blast. He fell back onto the ground, fire spreading from the wound. Riley yelled something as the general turned on him and fired a shot into his upper torso. The sergeant couldn't tell where. Darkness was closing in on his vision. A pair of men appeared out of seemingly nowhere and they were carrying him by his underarms and feet. Everything hurt as they tossed him into a ditch. The men did the same to Ghost, who appeared to be dead. His body was completely limp. The agony became that much worse when the men began to dump gasoline all over the sergeant. That was when he realized what this was.

A funeral pyre.

They were going to burn him alive.


End file.
